Watchmen will likely be forced to exclude a large amount of plot, but the complexity of the characters will hopefully remain. This is a short guide to knowing who’s who on the screen.
Rorschach
Rorschach is defined by his sense of justice. His sense is peculiar though. He doesn’t have the simple “aid the proper authorities in bringing criminals to prison” justice of Superman, or the “I must do all things within my legal power to make sure that criminals get their comeuppance” justice of Batman.
Rather, he loathes criminals with an irrational fury, and judges most people to be criminals. He therefore has no problem doing whatever necessary- short of nothing- to stop criminals from committing more crimes.
Dr. Manhattan was a scientist before being ripped apart in a nuclear accident. Somehow he restitched himself together through sheer bodiless will, and now has the power to create and destroy matter, to perceive anything that happens and to restructure reality as he sees fit.
He spends most of his time doing particle physics research for the United States government. Despite (and because of) his monumental intelligence and power, He often has trouble relating to other people on a human scale.
Nite Owl
Nite Owl is a gadget man. He made all of the super-technology which he and Rorschach would use to fight crime in New York back in the ‘60s. Night Owl is the token regular guy amongst the otherwise insane or super-powered cast. He is a millionaire and owns several patents.
As a person, Night Owl is insecure. He tries to do the right thing, but is inhibited by a desire to not stir things up. He is the most balanced of all the characters, and genuinely wants to help people.
Ozymandias
Otherwise known as Adrian Veidt, Ozymandias is the smartest man in the world. When the anti-vigilante legislation was passed he decided to go public instead of completely retiring. Now he is something of a national icon- performing acrobatics at sporting events and making headlines as a philanthropist.
The Comedian
Though the movie is kicked off by The Comedian’s death, he appears in several flashbacks throughout the graphic novel. The Comedian is a bad person- he abuses his position as crimefighter, soldier and public icon to enact sadistic fantasies.
Philosophically, he is similar to the Joker of the recent Dark Knight movie. He believes that the universe is meaningless and the “joke” which he tries to tell is the total lack of repercussions which his actions accrue.
Laurie Juspeczyk
Laurie Juspeczyk is the daughter of Sally Jupiter, one of the heroes of the ‘40s. She never really wanted to be a masked vigilante, but fell into it because of her mother. When the story picks up she is living with Dr. Manhattan on the government’s dime.
Laurie is bitter. She dislikes how her mother treated her growing up and she dislikes how the government treats her now. She is 35 and feels like she hasn’t accomplished much with her life. Throughout the story though, she opens up and deals with the issues of her past.
Conclusion
Though there are many characters in the graphic novel, they all have depth and complexity. The original comic is long enough to let all of their stories unfold. It will be interesting to see what director Zach Snyder does with them in the more limited space of a movie.
If you'd like to read more about Watchmen, check out my introductory article, or the one on the difficulties of adapting it to the screen.
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